Flush valve



Feb. 6, 1945.

E. A. FREDRlKsoN FLUSH VALVE- Filed Feb. 5. 1943 2 Sheets-Sheetl Fell 6, i945- E. A. FREDRlcKsoN 2,369,104

FLUSH VALVE Filed Feb.5, 194s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 6, 1945 FLUSH vALvE A.e Ereignissen. Chieeeo.

C .nego 111@ ser ..i

i. wegging February s, 1943, serial No. messe invention relates generally to valves and more particularly is applicable to `an `improvement in flush valves of the type .normally used to control v,the new of` water to a lcloset bowl 'or similar type of plumbing fixture.

One of the more serious complaints arising in i connection with faulty'operation of Hush valves is traceable to the :factthatthe inherently had water supply or the objectionable foreign' mat:

ter within the water, including subsequently Ide? positie@ calcium carbonate. y,iron and the like,

seriously interfere with the .consistently satisioc: tory operation-ethnie Lyne. .0f Yillrlle.v '1t should vbe appreciated in the latter conneetionfthat lthe operation .of the valve iieelflis relatively crine cel, eine@v its sireeeseifful performance' depends upon iiiiilsllolly close adjustments and tolerances made to conform with .the resuiremenis ef the particular installation, considering .the winnie ef Water necessary .for .e'seiisfatery flush .in light ef line nressnnes available? the mie 0i iiirebeine fiile. i

'.Ihiie in obtaining a iii the ba'eksreund ef thi. invention .it elieiilci 19e realized that ilse main valve of the en rgreiiilv im:

4 elaine' wi infie@ 'means are not supdect toistlcking or binding during the normal course of valve operations.v

In addition, it has ffor an important objectthe 'elixiiination yor 'al substantial reduction in wear of the usual valve s'eat'employed vwhich may be inade of 'rubber o' other composition or `of metal,

depending upon'the ser-vice; l

A furtherniirpose ofthe device is to miniingiiii v'aw'e seatfand tofreduce' substantially the prior objeetionabie'f 'lagging action" of' the" aux'- tivgfibendablenush termination-occurs and '9; more iiforr'ri,` 'well 'controlled' ilushinlgthr'oiigh tl'ivaivfat 'glitiniesis'aooommisnea; 'i f A further and in re specific 'purpose of Athe eieeiiifceiieoiiien@the"ermee,1e .the provision of a. novel guido arr'angnient'for'an lireved Siriiiure .iS inA lolly Sei metie by the actuation@ e oil. valve laiixilierv valve @Sii is? more generally krie definitely .determined thai if eilen arly relie ieeenot ,operi engi elesewitli relative "freedom I O f motion 0r fails i@ reenoiiq liiirllily i9 it .initial actuation. ille main valve will @imi arly fail te ope-raie properly', :reiiliing in there of too much flueiiine water te nisiur er else iindirig that the valve .slid .not .eloee' ,in either event resuliingineii @Pieeiioneble waste 0f water, More epeeiiiealln it 1.1.3.8 .been mund. that the prior eiiiiiliery relies used :the actuation 0f the ymein valve in Ithis time of device :here been provided -wiih guide means theteitner rubbed 0r dragged iurine-tl1e course orf closing the auxiliary nih/ e because of .the ffrietfien .en .eoilniered Aodiesient the fseei .and guide `iilie ultimate result- .iies been .that the valve did not Operate .consistently Satisfatoruy and .this was 4especially true when ythe moving. parte .had ;bec0me wor-n .er had.. ...during the course cef Lserviee,.becomeQuoted withgedimeniary deposits. Frequently under isuon .conditions serious com: maints have .resulted yreflecting -1in .gener;a 1 the unsatisfactory performance of the valve as above referred to. i g

Accordingly, an fimpontajnt object ofv the pz'os.. ent 'invention totpnoyide guide, means for an auxiliary naive :in .whleh S ueheriiiee1.- .guide vlvemclosur 'member' having ia Stern "depending f t'herefrin inivhioh lthe "latterA is proivided with lan @nnlarly positioned Aguide 'means to effct l(if"" fcolrnbined arcuate and transverse and outlet passages, as designated y9.1512 andi-3 respectively, Aand unther'providingv for vflowV therethrough asV i:indicated -b`y .the 'arrowsjthe inlet Abeing .connected vgenerally Jto the v'tnsluall or 'outlet 3 :leads l.through ilfhe Lcon'cluit d to fl@ 2&5 )a fragmentary sectional magnified plumbing fixture, such as a closet bowl orv the like, to be flushed upon such actuation of the flushing valve, as hereinafter described in greater detail. The valve body or casing I is provided with the usual valve chamber 5 having direct -connnunicationwith the inlet passage 2 as indicated. The upper partl of the valve chamber 5 is provided with the extended interior portion 6 having the usual cap 1 threadedly or otherwise attached in sealing relation thereto. The lower portion of the casing I is provided with the dis- I9 with a relatively large clearance on its periph-y ery, the advantages of which provision will be apparent shortly.

In cooperation with the desirable effect p-roduced by the use Aof such relatively large clearance arrangement between the head portion of the tiltable auxiliary valve and the walls of'the charge chamber 8 normally separated from theA able in a novel manner within the borev23 prolvided by the main valve closure member I2. As

chamber 5 by the annularly extending diaphragm 1 or bridge wall 9 supporting the `valve seat II 'which of course may be madev integral vwith the body I by merely extending the'annular part 9 inwardly as desired.

Occupying a substantial 'portion of .the valve chamber 5, it will be 'apparent that the plunger assembly comprising both the mainvalve I2 Vas well as the auxiliary, valve as hereinafter referred to, isA arrangedso that the main valve is normally in closed position seating onr the body seat ring II, as indicated at I3. Here similarly, while a composition disc is indicated for use as the seating -contact for the main valve disc member I2, it is obvio-us that an integral metal-to-metal seat bearing contact may be ef fected, ifdesired.' The lower portion of the main 4valve closure I2 is provided with the threaded shank I4 towhich is attached the guide member 15, slidably fitting for reciprocal movement within the bore. of the body seat ring II as indicatedduring the respective opening `and closing of the valve. As shown, the main valve 010-' sure member is kpreferably made hollow in its chamber within which it is movable, a close fitting annular guide 22 is arranged in spaced apart relation to the valve seat I8. The guide 22 is pref,-

.erably, although not necessarily, made integral with the closure member I9, and is slidably movshown more clearly in the magnified view of member 25- longitudinally movable therewithin Y for vreasons hereinafter explained in detail, but

upper portion so as to provide a chamber within which the centerpiecev IB is threadedly positioned asa-t I7. Clamped below the centerpiece I5 and supported on the lowersurface portion of the chamber of the main valve closure member I2, the auxiliary'valve `seat I8 is positioned, and while a composition seator the like is shown, it is obvious that under certain conditions an integral seat may beused without departing from the inventive concept. Normally seated upon the valve seat I8 the mushroom shaped auxiliary valve I9Ais provided. k t

Yeretofore asv shownvinvthe prior valve construction of Fig. 3,` it was previously thought desirable to provide for the auxiliary valve to fit within the bore 20 of the centerpiece i5, and having the cored or breached waterA passages 2I yso that. the auxiliary valve at its upper head porltion served as the guide for the auxiliary valve in the course of leaving and returning te its seat. I have determined, however, that such arrangement as shown and just described is not satisfactory, in that during normal valve operation,`

the disc I9 after being tilted or canted would not return to its seat, the objection being Athat, the valve either stuck or -bound in the cantedposinot constituting a part of the instant invention. The 'guide 22 ymay beannularly discontinuous. Continuing vwith the' description of the upper portion of the valve, the auxiliary member I9 is normally maintained on itsr seat by means of the coil spring 26, the latter member shouldering at 'the upper portion ofthe centerpiece kI6 by means of the threaded nut 21 having the central passage V,29 in communication witht he lower chamber .29 ofthe centerpiece I6. `The nutr21 functions withk the centerpiece `I6, as indicated, to clamp the cup leathers 3| therebetween for snuglytting within the bore of the upper chamber 6 of the main valvecasing I. The upper part of the chamber 29 at a side portion is'provided with the bypasspassage 32vhaving the bypass plate'33 and the indicated strainer which are p0- sitioned as desired within the threaded nut 34. Y

Now directing attentionto the lower portion of the valve as shownin Fig. 1, for purpose of actuation the casing I is provided with the aperture 35 machined to provide the necessary means,

for journaling the tiltable actuatingv handle 36, the latter member being maintained in operating position by virtue of its journaling within the supporting A'member 31 which is gripped in fluidtight relation to' thecasing I by means of the threaded union ring l38. The member 31 is provided'witnthethreadedbushing 39 tocompress the'stuingbox packing 49 which also serves to t Y Proceeding now with a description of the oper` ation of my device and referring, at th'e outset, to Fig. 1, the tiltable actuating handle 36 is depressed and by the latter action urges the independently movable rod porti-on 4I forward against the compression ofthe spring 42. The movement of the member 4I continues inwardly or forward until it strikes theA telescoping member 25 and with such movement causes the auxiliary valve disc' I9 to 'be'A cantedas lshown in Fig. 2. However, before reaching the full canted position of the closuremember I9 as shown, it should be understood, as an important element of this invention, that the peripheralsurface portion ofthe annular guide 22 will contact with a portion of the bore 23, maintaining such Contact while serving as a pivotal point for effecting movement of-the head I9 transversely across its seat I8 while in the act ofbeing canted at a continuinggreaterlanglefrom the positionof rel-- .ativeriargeiclearance's around its entire periphery to one in:y whichithei clearance fon-one side will be substantially reduced and the .otherwsi'dez dia.; metrically opposite correspondingly increased, lall vof which isy more .clearly apparent. from 'a study 'of .the diagrammatic operation of .thefimprove'd structureset torthI-inflig;4 5. It will beapparent that .upon canting or tilting of the auxiliary disc from :its seat :the J pressure in. the dashpot cham. ber i will. be immediately relieved... Sincethe area of the dashpot chamberl Ei'sr substantially greaterlthan the areal through-the main valve seat, as determined by the peripheral area of the annular seating portion I3, the water supply pressure within the valve chamber forces the main valve I2 upwardly, leaving its `seat II and thereby opening the main valve carrying the auxiliary valve and seat upwardly with it. Such movement of the valve I2 causes the water within the dashpot chamber 6 to move downward through the chamber or passage 28, thence into the lower chamber 29 and past the opening provided by the tilted auxiliary valve I9. The upward movement of the main valve closure I2 continues until by its own lift, it has caused the lowest end portion of the telescoping member to reach a position upwardly in which it has cleared the handle rod portion 4I and become disengaged therefrom whereupon the auxiliary valve I9 will immediately return to its seat I8. It is important at this stage of operation of the auxiliary valve to realize that a signiiicant movement of this valve also occurs on closing, for the peripheral surface of the guide member 22 rocksaway from its contact with the surface portion `of the bore 23, thereby causing the lowermost canted edge of the auxiliary valve I9 to slide laterally to the right (toward the valve axis) in its contact with the surface of the seat I8, enabling the valve stem to assume a1 substantially vertical position in the return of the valve to its seat. Such sliding to the right during closing move ment of the 'valve is caused by contact of the guide 22 with the left hand wall of the bore 23. Obviously in assuming such position the previous friction with the failure of the valve I9 to close has been positively overcome. Continuing with the procedure of valve closing, with the tight seating of the auxiliary valve, water from the inlet supply at the passage 2 will enter the dashpot chamber 6 through the bypass passage 32 past the oriiice plate 33 to thereby again accumulate pressure within the chamber 6 and causing the main valve I2 to return to its seat. Accordingly` the iiushin'g valve is now closed and ready for the'next cycle of operation as above described.

In recapitulation, and in contradistinction, it will be evident upon directing attention to Figs. 3 and 4 that heretofore the'auxiliary valve I9 upon being actuated tilted to such degree and in such manner that it would bind and frequently stick in the canted position, since the friction and sticking of the closure member and guide actually prevented the former from closing. At the Same time, the valve seat employed was cut by erosive action so that to a considerable extent its sealing eiectiveness was substantially minimized by the throttling eiect of water ilowing through a reduced orifice under high velocity under the improper seating conditions described.

while this rde-- ,f-yice.providesv for an improved means -for' guiding the closure member Nof a valve back Atof'its .seat

after being opened, and doing so in a manner in which friction is' reduced to a minimum, the detailed manner inwhich this is accomplished may vary, as for example, the relative positions of the inlet and outlet may be other than as above described, and therefore the scope of my protection should be measured by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Ina valve of the character described comprising a centerpiece casing having an inlet and outlet passage, a valve closure member therewithin, actuating means for said valve member, the Isaid valve closure member having depending guide means comprising 'a lower stem portion positioned substantially within the outlet passage and having an annular raised portion in spaced-apart transverse relation to the said valve closure member, the said raised portion allowing for predetermined canting of the said valve closure member whereby the portion of the crosssectional area of the outlet passage which is obstructed by the annular raised portion is decreased when the said raised portion is canted from its normal transverse or 'horizontal position in the outlet passage.

2. In a valve comprising a casing having an inlet, a discharge passage and a valve seat there- 40 between, a valve closure member therefor, actuating means for the said valve closure member,

the said valve closure member having depending guide means within the discharge passage to develop predetermined movement of the said valve closure member which movement consi-sts of tilting with va slight lateral sliding, the said guide I means including a transversely extending annu` lar portion spaced-apart from the said valve seat for contact with, an annular portion of the discharge passage upon predetermined canting of the said depending guide means and the valve closure member whereby the portion of the discharge passage area. which is obstructed by the transversely extending annular portion of the said guide means is decreased when the said guide means is canted from its normal position of substantial axial alignment with the said discharge passage.

3. In an auxiliary valve of the character described having a' casing with an inlet -and an outlet, comprising in combination a valve closure member, actuating mean-s for the said valve closure member, the said actuating means engaging a depending portionl of the said valve closure member whereby the said valve closure member is canted to unseat it from its normalv seating contact, the depending portion of the said valve closure member having a single annularly ex- .tending spaced-apart guideY means within the Obviously, ii the auxiliary valve I9 failsto seat properly or doesnot yseat at all, the subsequent functioning of the main valve will likewise be objectionably aiected, producing either an inconoutlet of the said valve, the said annular guide means having a rounded portion to allow for predetermined canting ofl the said valve closure member and for a reduction in that portion of the cross-sectional area of the outlet which is obstructed by the annular guide means while providing for-limited sliding contact of thevrounded portion of the guide means with an inner surface portion of the said outlet duringthe return of the said valve closure member to its seat.

4. In a valve of the character described com- -o prising a casing havingan inlet and outlet, a valve closure member therefor,'actuating means for the said valve closure member, the saidvvalve closure member having guide means comprising a lower stem positionedy within the outlet of the 10 said casing, an annular enlarged guide portion ,cooperating with the said stem and there being a narrow longitudinally extending neck portion between the said valve closure member and the said guide portion,'the guide means allowing for predetermined tilting of the said valve closure member upon initial actuation in openingthe valve whereby the enlarged annular portion of the said guide means is pivotally movable to allow for a reduction of that portion of the outlet which is obstructed by the yenlarged guide portion when the latter is tilted from its normal position in the outlet. l

' EDWARD A. FREDRICKSON. 

